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MANAGEMENT
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MANAGEMENT
Housing

Housing Safety

A secure residential community depends on everyone’s awareness, vigilance, and everyday choices. We encourage parents and families to remind students that their actions play an important role in helping protect themselves and their neighbors. Students should never allow unfamiliar individuals to follow them into residence halls, open apartment or bedroom doors to people they do not know or trust or access cards with others. Encourage your student to remain aware of their surroundings, report concerning activity, and seek assistance when something does not feel right. Living in a community means looking out for one another—because individual actions contribute to everyone’s well-being.

CSUSM Cougar Safe (Safety App) 

Encourage your student to download the CSUSM Cougar Safe app. The app provides safety alerts and quick access to emergency assistance and campus resources, including a mobile blue light feature that allows students to contact University Police and share their location when needed. 

 

Security in the Residence Halls 

  • Trained, professional staff members, known as Community Directors, live in the residence halls. They share on-call coverage to ensure someone is available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. They supervise student staff, oversee the day-to-day management of the residence halls and support residents through difficulty situations, as well as administer the housing conduct process. 
  • Each residence hall also has trained student staff members, called Community Advisors who are on call every weeknight from 5:00PM-8:00 AM and 24 hours on the weekend.  
  • Prevention and education opportunities are available for residential students, including information about consent, bystander intervention, safety planning, alcohol education, and available resources. 
  • 24-hour staffing at front desks in North Commons and Black Oak Hall, including guest registration.  
  • Exterior doors at North Commons and Black Oak Hall are restricted to exit-only, except at the main entrance.  
  • We require access card or keys to the gates, building entrance, and apartment/bedroom doors.  
  • On a monthly basis, Community Advisors conduct health and safety inspections of every room during which they check for cleanliness, safety violations, and fire hazards. In addition, our maintenance staff also check all bedrooms and apartments on a monthly basis and will service fire safety equipment including checking sprinklers and replacing smoke detector batteries as necessary. 

 

Security on Campus 

  • The University Police Department works 24 hours/day, 365 days a year. This proactive police force works closely with students, faculty, staff, and community members to maintain a safe academic environment. 
  • Community Services Officers (CSOs) are non-sworn student personnel of the University Police Department. CSOs work part-time to provide services to the university community, including but not limited to: parking enforcement, building lockups and unlocks, crime prevention, security for events, assistance with safety escorts. 
  • Blue light phones (message sent to Jennifer Ralph) 
  • In alignment with the Clery Act, the University provides Clery Notifications to the campus community when certain crimes are reported or whtn there is a threat to health and safety of the campus such as severe weather warning, environmental emergency or criminal activity that is an imminent threat to the campus community. 

 

Housing Policies 

  • License Agreement 
  • Resident Handbook